June 2, 2025 | Press Release

New feature taps into historical data and real-time trends to offer booking clarity; Sold-out Alerts also introduced

In a move set to transform how Indians book train tickets, MakeMyTrip has launched an innovative feature called Seat Availability Forecast, aimed at giving travellers a clearer sense of how long confirmed seats will remain available on a particular train. The feature is designed to address a common challenge among train users: uncertainty about when to book.

While Indian Railways opens reservations 60 days in advance, MakeMyTrip’s data reveals that nearly 40% of users make bookings across multiple sessions—often over several days. The result? Around 70% of these travellers end up with waitlisted tickets as demand surges and availability drops by the time they’re ready to book.

The travel-tech company observed fluctuating demand patterns over recent months. In April, high-speed trains were typically sold out 13 days ahead of departure. By May, however, increased demand had pushed this window to more than 20 days. This makes it difficult for users to gauge how much time they have before a train sells out—even when they know which service they want.

To solve this, MakeMyTrip’s new Seat Availability Forecast feature uses advanced algorithms powered by years of historical booking data and real-time demand indicators. The result is a predictive tool embedded directly into the train booking flow on both the app and website, giving users a reliable estimate of how quickly seats might disappear.

“We are focussed on our mission to anticipate and address the nuanced needs of Indian rail passengers. Seat Availability Forecast is a result of that effort, rooted in data science, built to be seamless, and designed to solve a real planning challenge for millions of users. It is a strong addition to our rail stack which helps make train travel more predictable and less stressful across the board,” said Rajesh Magow, Co-founder and Group CEO, MakeMyTrip.

To further assist users who aren’t ready to book immediately, the platform has also rolled out Sold-out Alerts. Once activated, these alerts notify travellers when availability on their selected train falls below a certain threshold—encouraging timely booking before confirmed seats are gone.

Together, these features are designed to reduce booking anxiety, improve travel planning, and empower millions of train users across India with real-time insights and smarter decision-making tools.